Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Liu Zhenmin, during a courtesy call on President Yameen Abdul Gayoom today, has noted China’s interest in assisting with capacity building in the tourism sector of the Maldives.
The meeting was held this morning at the President’s Office.
At the meeting, the President and the Chinese Vice Minister exchanged views on ways to increase and maintain the Maldives as a preferred tourism destination in China.
The President’s Office said that they discussed the close bilateral relations that exist between the two countries, and explored possibilities of strengthening these ties, especially in the social and economic sectors.
The President highlighted that 40 years of strong diplomatic relations had resulted in unprecedented close cooperation and benefits for the peoples. He expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government for their contribution to the development of Maldives, especially the assistance in housing.
Speaking on the mutual respect accorded to each other, President Yameen said that the Maldives cherished the Chinese government’s confidence in Maldives in its capacity to resolve domestic issues.
At the meeting, the Chinese Vice Minister congratulated the President on his election and the successful transition of government in November 2013. He conveyed to the President, the Chinese government’s commitment to strengthen the Sino-Maldives relations in the future.
The Chinese Vice Minister underlined the areas in which both countries could extend cooperation. He especially focused on strengthening ties in the fields of tourism and hospitality, economics and trade, and infrastructure development.
Further, the Chinese Vice Minister briefed the President on China’s propositions on contributing to the preservation of and research in the Maldives’ marine ecology.